Travis hosts international firefighter summit

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christian Conrad
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The fire department at Travis Air Force Base, California, recently hosted representatives from a number of different countries as part of a program aimed at reinforcing good international relations as well as bringing together firefighters to make a positive impact in each other’s lives and in their respective communities.

The week of April 8 saw Travis AFB become a headquarters for Firefighters for Christ, an organization that uses Christianity and spirituality as a linchpin to foster personal connections and a sense of community stewardship among firefighters from countries including Sweden, the Philippines, Germany, Northern Ireland, Canada and Switzerland.

Despite the organization’s religious connotation, people of all faiths were welcomed, said Chief John Speakman, Travis Fire Emergency Services chief.

“We’re an inclusive bunch,” said Speakman. “While the experiences of someone who is Muslim or Jewish may differ from our own, we enjoy the opportunity to deepen each other’s spiritual resilience.”

Along with nurturing a network of international partnerships, FFC also encourages its members to advocate positive change in their communities.

“The group does many good things around the community,” said Speakman. “I have had dozens of the (FCC) firefighters support me in providing meals at the Mission Solano, cleaning up city parks and hosting barbecues in neighborhoods that have had violent crimes occur to try to bring folks together.”

One of the firefighters to make his way to Travis AFB for the summit was Aaron McAuley, a Belfast International Airport Rescue and Firefighting Service crew commander in Northern Ireland. Despite his temporary change in scenery, McAuley said he still felt at home.

“Just like in the military, no matter how different people are culturally, the connection you feel with others who are also wearing the uniform or who are also in the firehouse is this almost universal ideal,” said McAuley. “It all comes down to finding those connections. All firefighters are firefighters, no matter where they are, and that’s an idea the FCC tries to enforce.”

For McAuley, it’s the idea of togetherness that makes for a successful firefighter as much as it makes for a successful Christian.

“You can’t be a firefighter alone,” said McAuley. “And you also can’t be a Christian alone. It takes the help of the people around you to succeed in both of those things. Teamwork is something too often overlooked when talking about faith and resiliency.”

Rather than handling the stressors of firefighting alone, Speakman hopes by talking openly about one’s faith and experiences with those who have a comparable mentality, the mental weight that can sometimes befall those in the profession can be diminished.

“Firefighting is known to be a very stressful career,” said Speakman. “I think in pursuing its mission, FCC has afforded firefighters the opportunity to talk more openly about their struggles, whether in their faith or their resiliency. Because of that, it’s allowed those individuals the chance to process that stress, become more resilient and lead a happier life.”